Омахинский Гражданский Аудиториум: История и Падение Многофункционального Комплекса

Former multi purpose hall and convention center in Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Omaha Civic Auditorium was a multi purpose convention center located in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak Sar Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CHI Health Center Omaha in 2003. With the opening of the Ralston Arena in 2012, all teams that played at the Civic Auditorium moved, which reduced the venue's viability. The auditorium closed its doors in June 2014 and was demolished two years later.

The Civic Auditorium arena seated up to 9,300 for sporting events and up to 10,960 for concerts.

The Omaha Civic Auditorium Music Hall was located on the east side of Omaha Civic Auditorium and was used for concerts, Broadway shows and other events. It seated 2,453 and was known for its intimate yet casual atmosphere.

The Civic Auditorium Exhibit Hall featured 43,400 square feet (4,000 m2) of space for conventions and trade shows.

Mancuso Hall was a large events venue used for parties, trade shows, concerts, banquets, and conventions, among other events. 25,000 square feet (2300 m2) of space, Mancuso Hall seated 2,500 for concerts and 1,500 for banquets.

In the past, the arena was home to the Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team, the Creighton women's basketball and volleyball teams, and the University of Nebraska Omaha hockey team, and the Kansas City Omaha Kings NBA basketball team. The arena was the site of the Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament title game in 1978. It was also the site of the seventh WWF In Your House pay per view in 1996. Billy Graham's Nebraska Crusade took place at the arena in 1964.

George Wallace (1919 1998) was a populist segregationist who ran a third party presidential campaign to enhance the political clout of segregationist Southern leaders. On March 4, 1968, he came to Omaha to speak at the Civic Auditorium. The space in the auditorium had a limit of 3,400 people but more than 5,000 were admitted. Omahans packed in to support the candidate, except for a group of African American and white protesters seated at the foot of the stage. Many were youth with the Omaha NAACP, the DePorres Club and other protest organizations. At the apex of the speech, some of the protesters tore up signs they were waving and threw them on the stage, while others released stink bombs filling the auditorium with a foul odor. Police began attacking the protesters and brutalized them in front of the audience's applause. Fleeing the auditorium for safety, rioting ensued along North 24th Street, the main thoroughfare in Omaha's Black neighborhood. Civil unrest continued for days afterward, and Wallace's visit is attributed to the destruction of the neighborhood, further decimation of relations between the Omaha Police Department and the Black community, and more. Afterward, the main story in the Omaha World Herald was recalled as “almost a press release from the Wallace campaign, and yes that’s the way political journalism was back then, but it didn’t have any context.”

One of Elvis Presley's final concerts was held at the Civic Auditorium on June 19, 1977. The concert was filmed for a CBS TV special, Elvis in Concert. Nothing remains except bare dirt and grass at the site.